


The final crusade of Oliver Queen

by Bl4ckHunter



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Adventure, Crime, F/M, Redemption, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:21:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26569474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bl4ckHunter/pseuds/Bl4ckHunter
Summary: One-shot story. When fighting Damien Darhk and Prometheus, Oliver's war with them comes at a great cost but he is still able to find some peace at the end of his quest. Not linked or canon to The Darhk War series but more like a "what-if" scenario.
Relationships: Oliver Queen/Sara Lance
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	The final crusade of Oliver Queen

**Author's Note:**

> This story is not linked to The Darhk War series but it is inspired by it and by Stand and Ward and Queen's stories "A new age for the League of Assassins" and "Prophecy of the end" and the scenes I'm adding here are inspired by the mentioned series. Basically, what-if, using Oliver/Sara instead of Oliver/Laurel, but like I've said, not linked or canon to the series, since I'm done with it and after some contemplation, I wasn't really in a mood to do a complete rewrite of the story but I'm adding and rewriting some scenes from the original story that are pivotal for the story to work. For the sake of the story, Sara doesn't join the Legends and Oliver calls Sara during the Vandal Savage stuff instead of Laurel and Thea is injured during Darhk's attack in 4x09 and Darhk and Prometheus kidnap Laurel instead of Sara.
> 
> Basically, I'm putting in here scenes that I would've added or rewritten in my "reboot" of the first story and the series.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

Oliver was on his way to Laurel as he saw Sara leaving with a duffel bag.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"I can't stay around you, guys. Not like this, Ollie." Sara said sadly with tears in her eyes and guilt in her tone.

"Hey, hey. If this is about what happened last night—"

"You know that things are not going to go back to how they were." Sara said simply with pain in her eyes.

"Sara, you already left once to fight your own demons by yourself. So did I once… and in neither of these cases, things did end well."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Sara asked.

"Diggle once told me that our strength doesn't come from our brawns and wits, but also from our family and our allies. Sara. It's not too late, we can still fix this, together. Let us help you. Don't let the darkness win." Oliver asked. "No matter what happens, we're in this together until the end of the line. You're not just my friend… you're my family. And no matter what, we always look out for each other and lean on to each other. If not for me, then for Laurel… for your Dad… they missed you. We all did. You don't have to do this alone anymore. Please…" Oliver insisted as Sara nodded later.

"OK. For you, Ollie." She hugged him.

* * *

Oliver returned to the bunker, when he realized that his teammates had tipped the police off about Machin, when Oliver was interrogating him.

"Have you lost your mind?" Laurel demanded as Oliver walked into the lair.

"I don't have time for a debate." Oliver snapped, hanging his bow on the stand.

"Good, what you did was—"

"What I did?" Oliver snapped, glaring at her. "I did what I had to do to find out where Darhk is! Machin was only arrested because you told the SCPD where I was holding him!"

"Look, Ollie, we get what you were trying to do but I thought you weren't doing things like that anymore! You of all people should know what happens, when you let your personal feelings cloud your judgement, when the people you love get caught in the crossfire, especially, when it's your family." Henry pointed out.

Oliver took a breath and looked into Henry's eyes and nodded, understanding what was he talking about as his eyes widened slightly in realization.

"Look, I'm not saying Machin doesn't have it coming, but if you cross that line again, there may be no way back for you. Don't make the same mistake I once did." Henry said and left as everyone looked at Oliver confused.

"What's he talking about, Ollie?" Sara asked.

"Is that about his daughter?" Diggle tried as Oliver and Tatsu raised their brows at him. "I saw a photo of Henry and a little girl from a couple of years back, I tried to ask him but he shut me out and he had the look in his eyes I've seen before. Of the ones who've lost someone very close."

Oliver and Tatsu nodded. "He really doesn't like to think about it and I really shouldn't have brought her up." He realized as he remembered the current circumstances, cursing himself for not putting them into consideration.

"Why? What happened?" Sara asked.

"It's not my secret to tell." Oliver said honestly.

"We get that but bottling up something so serious never helps." Diggle said reasonably.

"I… I'll tell you what I know later… short version, let's just say that Henry used to be an investigator, he had some enemies, they went after him, his daughter got caught in the crossfire, then Henry lost it and went off-the-grid, hunting those responsible down, most of them, he left them to the authorities, leaking their operations out, killed only those who gave him no other choice. It took a lot to track him down in the end, he was able to evade FBI, the police and A.R.G.U.S. for over a year."

"How did they catch him them?" Sara asked.

"It wasn't them who caught him. The person who stopped him, all I know, she was a vigilante in Gotham, some girl dressed as a bat. She stopped him from doing something he would regret later." Oliver explained. "Then a police commissioner from Gotham arranged for him to get help at the asylum and I guess Henry started to hate himself for the things he has done and was willing to stay locked up for the rest of his life until Waller approached him and as you know, she does not take ' _no_ ' for an answer. Luckily, she got him the help he needed."

Laurel, Sara and Diggle stared at Oliver, considering and nodding in understanding.

* * *

After they saved Darhk's family, ironically, much to Oliver's dismay and stopped Shadowspire and saved Henry, thanks to Barbara's help, he was in his penthouse, contemplating before Sara entered.

"Hey." Sara said. "What's going on, Ollie?"

"Just can't stop thinking about what Prometheus is doing. He knows everything about us and he hasn't told Darhk. It's like he wants to take us out all by himself and he's playing with us? How are we supposed to beat someone like him?" Oliver wondered.

"I don't know, Ollie. But what I do know is that if you give up on hope, then you're going to lose eventually." Sara said as she sat down next to him.

"I'm trying to be better… but a friend of mine once told me that in order to fight monsters, you need to become one. What if there's no going back for me this time?" Oliver said.

"You've been trying to pull me back. And I'm sure that Laurel, Thea, Dig, Henry, they all can do. Instead of keeping the people you love at arms' length, let them carry that burden with you. I've made the mistake of running away before and I don't plan on doing it again. I'm here for you." Sara said as she held his hand and they stared at each other, the energy building up between them was rising as they kissed fiercely before Oliver took off her top, while she unbuttoned his shirt and they laid down on the couch as Oliver unclipped Sara's bra and dropped it on the floor as Sara breathed as he ran his hands from her cheeks down her neck and breasts as she moaned, while they were making out.

* * *

In A.R.G.U.S. black site prison, Andy handed Darhk the missing piece of idol as they all stared at him in disbelief.

"Sorry, man." Andy said unrepentantly.

"Andy." Spartan breathed as he couldn't absorb his brother's betrayal.

"I've been tracking your movements for months; I know everywhere you've been, all I needed to hear was that it was you that hid the stone." Andy said.

"Was there even a chance for you?" Spartan stared in disbelief and betrayal.

"Your brother's way beyond reach, Mr. Diggle." Darhk said as he fixed the idol and absorbed the life force of other inmates while the rest of them left as the sorcerer restrained the vigilantes with his magic.

"Andy here might have mentioned that his brother worked for the Green Arrow or should I say 'Oliver Queen'?" Darhk smirked. "I know what you're thinking but no, he didn't tell me. It was just a hop, skip and jump from the Diggle connection to you, to your girlfriend and your sister. But that look on your face, I recognized it then and I recognize it now, that was a father's look."

" _Darhk, we need to move._ " Prometheus ordered as he noticed how dangerously was Darhk approaching the Black Canary.

"Patience." Darhk ordered as Prometheus was slowly reaching for his sword, ready to intervene. He knocked Spartan and Speedy and Katana on the floor as he approached Black Canary. "Miss Lance, nine months ago, I made your father a promise. I told him what I would do with you if he betrayed me."

Green Arrow fired, only for Darhk to catch the arrow as he neared Black Canary. "I want you to tell him that…"

Laurel gagged as Darhk stabbed her in the abdomen with Oliver's arrow.

"…that I'm a man of my word." Darhk finished before walking away with Prometheus and the Ghosts, until he did a gesture and Team Arrow were freed from his magic and Darhk, Prometheus and the Ghosts disappeared due to Darhk's magic and Oliver quickly approached injured Laurel and picked her up bridal style.

* * *

"How's Laurel?" Oliver asked as he approached one of the doctors in the medical wing of A.R.G.U.S.

"There's a problem. Miss Lance is… gone." The doctor explained.

"Gone? What do you mean, 'gone'?" Sara demanded.

"Someone assaulted the guards and killed them. Most likely this Prometheus. And Miss Lance's body has been taken from her room." The doctor said and Oliver and Sara looked worriedly.

* * *

Knowing he needed help, Oliver teamed up with Roy, Talia, Bruce, Helena and Slade to stop them until they entered another chamber and sensed someone sneaking up on them.

" _Turn around, now._ "

The vigilantes slowly turned their heads and Green Arrow decided to cut to the chase. "Who are you?"

Prometheus laughed for a moment. " _You really have no idea…_ " He tapped his neck and took off his hood, revealing dark hair and took off his mask, revealing his face. "…do you, Oliver?"

A chill was sent down the vigilantes' spine, staring and reacting in various forms in disbelief.

"That's not possible…" Speedy whispered.

"How…" The Canary was lost for words.

"It can't be…" Spartan trailed off.

Henry and Tatsu just stood there, speechless, while Green Arrow could barely speak. "You? But… you're dead…"

"What's the matter?" Tommy mocked as he circled the Team Arrow as he pointed at all of them with his sword. "Lost for words? I expected more… I'm hurt…" He said in feigned disappointment.

Oliver still couldn't form words. "How—"

"Daddy dearest tried to bring me back… needless to say how I repaid him after _he_ was the one who did all this to me…" Tommy said coldly as everyone was shocked by his cruelty. This wasn't the Tommy Merlyn they knew anymore.

"Tommy… why are you doing this?" Thea asked, looking at him in disbelief.

Tommy seethed as he glared at Oliver. "Why? It's all because of him… _he_ chose to let me die… alone… under the rubble… while trying to play hero—"

"That's not what happened!" Thea snapped.

Oliver took a breath to shake off the momentary shame. "I tried my best to save everyone… and not a day goes by when I wouldn't want to take it all back. But I tried to help you too…"

"But… you two screwed me over… again…" Tommy snorted as he glared at both Oliver and Laurel, as the shame flooded through both of them.

Oliver tried to calm him down. "Tommy… we're both sorry… but you—"

Tommy ignored her. "Do you know what my Dad used to say? 'Focus on what you want to achieve, son, and it will happen.' Well, do you know what I want now? I want you. All. Dead!"

Tommy swung his sword but Oliver blocked with his bow and kicked him back. The rest was about to help before Oliver turned to them. "Find Laurel and get her of here, I got this!"

Team Arrow nodded as they ran off.

* * *

Henry, Sara, Tatsu, Thea and Diggle were looking for a way out before they saw Laurel strapped to a chair in a makeshift house in the dome.

Thea and Henry shot down the Ghosts guarding the house, when they entered and approached Laurel, who just stared blankly.

"Laurel. You OK?" Sara asked, undoing Laurel's restraints, but much to her shock, Laurel punched her and reached for a radio in her jacket.

"Intruders. Get reinforcements, now." Laurel said in a blank tone.

"Laurel…" Sara stared.

"It's the yellow pills, she's being mind-controlled!" Diggle realized.

"Don't move." Laurel ordered, pulling out a gun.

"Laurel, we're your friends, this isn't you." Tatsu said in an attempt to reach her.

Laurel hesitated and her hand trembled before Henry grabbed her gun and disarmed her and blocked her blows before Sara and Diggle grabbed Laurel from behind. Laurel shook violently, freeing herself from their grip and punched Diggle before Sara grabbed Laurel by her arm. Despite Laurel's training with Oliver, Sara had years of experience with her skills superior to Laurel's but Laurel attacked with savagery Sara had never seen before, not giving Sara an opening to fight back. Sara managed to grab Laurel by her arm and using the momentum against her, she threw Laurel to a nearby table as it crashed.

* * *

Tommy kicked Oliver back but Oliver dodged before Tommy could slice his head off and hit him in the face with his bow, knocking him back. Tommy managed to cut Oliver in his side as he screamed in pain before their weapons clashed again and they knocked them off each other's hands before they started exchanging blows instead.

* * *

Laurel had gotten up in the meantime but Henry, Tatsu and Diggle restrained her again as Sara neared Laurel slowly in an attempt to reach her as she put down her wig and mask.

"Laurel, I know you're in there. It's me. It's Sara. Your sister. You have to fight this." Sara pleaded.

"I… I can't… I can't, Sara…" Laurel said shakily, struggling.

"You can. You're stronger than this. You're stronger than I can be. You've seen the good in me and you've never given up on me, even when I was ready to give up on myself and I'm not giving up on you yet. Fight this, Laurel. I know you can do it." Sara said.

Laurel breathed out and relaxed as Henry, Tatsu and Diggle let her go. She rushed to Sara and hugged her as both sisters started to cry before they heard sounds of fighting.

"Ollie needs our help." Henry realized.

* * *

Oliver lunged at Tommy as they both rolled down the floor, struggling before they both got on their feet as they exchanged blows, evenly matched and neither of them was able to gain the upper hand. Tommy punched Oliver in the jaw but Oliver pushed him back and kicked him in the chest as he pinned Tommy to the wall. Tommy freed himself from Oliver's grip and slammed his face to the railing, dazing him but Oliver kicked Tommy back as he staggered.

In the end, Oliver cornered Tommy to scaffolding as they were both on the ledge as he tried to get through to his friend. "You're our friend, Tommy! You're not what they turned you into!"

"Stop! Stop talking to me!" Tommy screamed, his voice cracking as he roared, lunging Oliver as they fell over onto scaffolding as it collapsed and they both hit the ground hard.

Oliver was on top of Tommy as he started to pummel him relentlessly, beating him into submission until his face was bruised and bloodied. Oliver grabbed an arrow on the floor from Tommy's quiver, about to drive it through his skull but as he looked into his former best friend's eyes... he just couldn't bring himself to kill him and Oliver eventually sighed as he stood up before the rest of Team Arrow approached.

"This… is all your fault!" Tommy snarled as he grabbed a gun from a nearby dead Ghost, aiming at Oliver.

"Tommy… I'm sorry… for everything…" Oliver said with sincere remorse.

"Every time you play hero, you can save everyone, just not those you care about! You ruined Sara, you ruined Thea, you ruined me!" Tommy shouted.

"Tommy, please, it's not too late… we can fix this, together." Thea offered her half-brother her hand.

"Let us help you. Please." Laurel pleaded as she approached her friends.

Tommy stared at everyone, contemplating as they all saw the pain and hate on his face before finally lowering his gun and breaking down in tears as Laurel and Thea knelt down, hugging him and trying to console him as Oliver tapped his commlink. "Oracle, it's… we found Tommy."

" _What? I'm sorry, Oliver. I must have misheard you. For a moment I thought I'd heard you say that you found Thomas Merlyn._ " Barbara said, disbelieved.

"You heard right."

There was a pregnant pause as Barbara was absorbing the news before breathing out in disbelief. " _Oh, my God… oh, my God, how is he even alive? Is he OK?_ "

"No… no, he's not." Oliver said as he looked at his now damaged friend.

"I can still hear those voices in my head…" Tommy whispered.

"We'll get you help, Tommy, OK?" Laurel soothed him. "We'll get you help."

"No. There's no helping me." Tommy said brokenly as he got up to his feet, much to their surprise, and dropped a pellet on the ground as it exploded in blinding light and when Oliver, Sara, Laurel, Thea, Diggle and Henry recovered, Tommy had escaped.

* * *

"Any ideas on where Darhk might be?" Oliver asked, while he searched the lower levels Tevat Noah and Oliver's allies and team were handling the surface of the underground city.

"According to the schematics I have found thanks to you hacking into the servers, there is a nexus chamber, most likely, where Darhk is gathering his magic." Barbara said.

Oliver found a lever on a wall and pulled it. The wall shifted, revealing a hidden chamber, where was Darhk standing on a platform and on the pedestal was his Khushu idol.

"Right on time to die?" Darhk asked.

"Right on time to kill you." Oliver sneered.

Darhk did a gesture and attempted to use his magic but frowned upon realizing nothing had happened. "Impossible. How—"

"I have a friend, who's an expert on magic and turns out your magic has a weakness. If anyone has stronger willpower than the user of Khushu magic, it doesn't work on them. And I have a lot of willpower to kill you. This time, no powers for you." Oliver glared.

Darhk sneered. "I don't need my magic to kill you. Even without it, I almost became the successor to Ra's al Ghul! Magic or not, you can't beat me, Oliver!"

"We'll see about that!" Oliver snarled as he rushed at Darhk, who picked a sword from a nearby stand.

Oliver blocked with his bow, when Darhk attacked. They exchanged strikes with their weapons and Oliver ducked, when Darhk aimed at his head cut into his hood and forced him to lower it. Their weapons crossed, with Oliver pushing Darhk back and pinned him to the wall but Darhk headbutted Oliver, making him stumble back and kicked him in the chest.

Oliver fell against the pedestal but dodged before Darhk could finish him off. Oliver blocked again with his bow but swinging his sword and striking at the right spot, Darhk broke Oliver's bow and then swung again and Oliver screamed, falling to his knees as his left arm fell off of him.

"Poor Oliver Queen. No parents. No sister. No friends. All alone and left to die." Darhk said, about to finish Oliver off but then a blade blocked Darhk's sword and he looked up and both him and Oliver stared in shock to see Tommy, in a black hood, in his hand a sword.

"Leave him alone." Tommy sneered.

"You should be dead." Darhk said, first surprised, then enraged at the interference.

"So should you." Tommy said.

Darhk parried Tommy's attacks before going into offensive as Tommy blocked as it became a clash of blades and sparks flied. The force of Darhk's strike caused for Tommy to stagger as he almost lost the grip on his sword but regained hold. Darhk pressed forward but Tommy deflected his attacks and then slammed the hilt of his sword to Darhk's face, dazing him as he stumbled back. While dazed, Darhk swung the sword wildly in a desperate attempt for the killing blow, which Tommy counted on and dodged before cutting Darhk in his side and Darhk grunted and stilled before Tommy finished Darhk off by plunging the blade into his heart and twisted.

Darhk gagged as blood filled his mouth and fell to his knees, staring in disbelief that he had been beaten.

"I've wallowed in darkness, but I see the light now." Tommy breathed out. "I've made mistakes and I have a lot to make up for… but scumbags like you will never change. Say 'hi' to my Dad, when you see him in Hell."

Darhk seethed, glaring at Tommy in hatred before he fell down, face first to the ground as he drew his last breath.

Oliver stared at Tommy, who helped him up before he picked a nearby cloth, bandaging the stump where Oliver's arm had been. "Your arm…"

"It's OK, Tommy. It's OK." Oliver said.

* * *

"I… know that there is no amount of apologies that's going to make up for what I've done." Tommy said as he was with Oliver in the lair, staring at the Green Arrow suit, while looking at Oliver's new prosthetic arm from Wayne Enterprises. "Are you sure I should take up the mantle?"

"If you want redemption, you need to find a way to make up for what you've done. But you can't do it as Tommy Merlyn and it would be insane to do it as Prometheus. You need to do it as someone else. Something else." Oliver said.

"What about you?" Tommy asked and Oliver considered.

"There was a time I thought that my crusade would end with my death. But I've been wrong before." Oliver admitted. "And I know what it's like trying to make up for the bad things that you've done."

"What makes you think they'll accept me?" Tommy asked.

"You don't know that until you try. Laurel doesn't blame you either for what happened. John enlisted again and Roy and Thea need help. Sara got an offer from Henry and Lyla and she's thinking about it." Oliver said.

* * *

Oliver and Sara were on couch in Oliver's penthouse, watching a news report of the Green Arrow and his team rescuing Mayor Quentin Lance and D.A. Laurel Lance from Tobias Church as Sara leaned her head on Oliver's shoulder. "Do you want to know something funny?" Sara smirked.

"What?" Oliver asked.

"I'm happy." Sara said as they kissed fiercely.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, in this story, Laurel was stabbed by Tommy, but she obviously did not die and what happened later is partly inspired by Stand's stories "A new age for the League of Assassins" and "Prophecy of the end". As for Felicity, the same thing from the original story happened, with her getting sent off and not remembering Oliver, though she later remembers and they befriend each other later again, instead of some of her stupid suicidal stunts again, since it's obvious that Oliver and Felicity are better off as friends.
> 
> I planned for Laurel to stay in Star City instead of joining the Birds of Prey and have Sara joining the BoP instead Oliver retire due to losing his arm, with Diggle going back to the military and Tommy, reluctantly at first, working with Team Arrow and Laurel and her and Tommy getting back together, but honestly, I'm done with the series and not really in a mood to do long story with a premise similar to what I have written before.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have enjoyed this one-shot.
> 
> With regards
> 
> Bl4ckHunter


End file.
